Most stories look at Labor Day from the perspective of the factory worker. That is important, but today I offer a different perspective.
On this day I am reading my Kindle with cooking shows in the background. Now why am I listening to cooking shows? A major surprise to my friends - I gave my wife control of the remote. Before you ask, yes I really did.
So today I am listening to Tricia Yearwood's cooking show, Tricia's Southern Kitchen, and Pioneer Woman.
On one of Yearwood's episodes she talked about her grandmother and how she cooked a lunch and dinner every day. That made me think about this perspective on Labor Day. It is the labor of mothers and grandmothers cooking meals every day.
My friends all know this about me, I am half Lebanese. My mother is a full blooded Lebanese lady. My friends also know I was raised in Midland, Texas. My mother and Sitie (Lebanese for grandmother) cooked hearty, healthy meals. However, even though I was raised in the South/Southwest, my mother and Sitie did not cook much Southern food. Most of the food had an Arabic flavor to it. In fact, in my parents' home, if you had half a gallon of virgin olive oil and/or 10 cloves of garlic, you were running dangerously low on absolutely key ingredients.
My wife is the Southern cook. You name any Southern dish and the chances are she cooked it.
All three take great pride in their meals and signature dishes. All three are meticulous cooks. For the family, they use the best ingredients, spend considerable time on prepping and seasoning, and when appropriate, presentation.
This is labor and one of love. It takes time to go to the store or stores for the right ingredients, washing and prepping food, seasoning, cooking, serving and you get the idea. The family sits down at the dinner table, enjoys food and conversation and then their goes separate ways. Perhaps to study or a school related activity. To get to that point, it takes labor. However, the benefits are immense (as I suspect all three ladies realized that years ago). A meal can bind a family for a short time, it feeds hungers (appetite and togetherness) and encourages discussions.
So as you think of Labor Day, remember the mothers, grandmothers and wives who labor in a kitchen every night so a family can bond. What a great gift.
Monday, September 1, 2014
The Importance of Passion
First, congratulations to my daughter for earning a spot on the Osbourn Park High School Varsity Cheer squad. She will be a Yellow Jacket cheerleader for another season and during her senior year. The first home game is this Friday.
All parents want to see their children succeed. We want them to find their passion. Often times a parent's interests and passions are far different than our children. It certainly is in my case. Since I was uncoordinated as a teenager, my interest was more cerebral. That interest was debate.
My son was interested in forensics and track. My daughter in dance and cheer. Both lettered in high school, my son in track and my daughter in cheer. For that I am pleased and for several reasons.
I always enjoyed attending a track meet where my son ran the 400, 4 x 4, or cross country and cheering him and the team. My daughter's dance competitions and cheering at games were a thrill. I tried to go to as many competitions and parent events as possible through the years. One benefit is watching my kids and their friends improve every year. That is a real reward.
Their dedication to sports forced me to take an interest in several activities I would have not given much thought to. Now, I look for track meets and cheer competitions on the various sports channels. Of course I follow with great interest the Summer Olympic track competitions. For that I am grateful.
Passion drives you to excel. For example, my daughter's tumbling, gymnastics and dance all helped her earn a position on the varsity cheer squad. She worked hard for several weeks. And not only in school, but also at home.
Equally, passion from one can also be instilled in others. Back in college I ran. I would not win any competitions, but I enjoyed it. For some reason I stopped. After I dropped some weight and watched my son run in track meets, I decided to take up running again. A big benefit to living in Northern VA and Prince William County is the abundance of outstanding trails. At one point I was running 5 times a week. After an injury I am working my way back.
However, the most important point is my love of running was rekindled by my son's track experiences. When we are all together, my son, my daughter and I start a run together, but never end together. That is the power of passion.
hhttp://www.yellowjacketathletics.org/index.cfm?action=main.teamroster&id=27198ttp://
All parents want to see their children succeed. We want them to find their passion. Often times a parent's interests and passions are far different than our children. It certainly is in my case. Since I was uncoordinated as a teenager, my interest was more cerebral. That interest was debate.
My son was interested in forensics and track. My daughter in dance and cheer. Both lettered in high school, my son in track and my daughter in cheer. For that I am pleased and for several reasons.
I always enjoyed attending a track meet where my son ran the 400, 4 x 4, or cross country and cheering him and the team. My daughter's dance competitions and cheering at games were a thrill. I tried to go to as many competitions and parent events as possible through the years. One benefit is watching my kids and their friends improve every year. That is a real reward.
Their dedication to sports forced me to take an interest in several activities I would have not given much thought to. Now, I look for track meets and cheer competitions on the various sports channels. Of course I follow with great interest the Summer Olympic track competitions. For that I am grateful.
Passion drives you to excel. For example, my daughter's tumbling, gymnastics and dance all helped her earn a position on the varsity cheer squad. She worked hard for several weeks. And not only in school, but also at home.
Equally, passion from one can also be instilled in others. Back in college I ran. I would not win any competitions, but I enjoyed it. For some reason I stopped. After I dropped some weight and watched my son run in track meets, I decided to take up running again. A big benefit to living in Northern VA and Prince William County is the abundance of outstanding trails. At one point I was running 5 times a week. After an injury I am working my way back.
However, the most important point is my love of running was rekindled by my son's track experiences. When we are all together, my son, my daughter and I start a run together, but never end together. That is the power of passion.
hhttp://www.yellowjacketathletics.org/index.cfm?action=main.teamroster&id=27198ttp://
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